Roughing It
by Master Auror
Summary: Harry has survived the war, but at what cost? Now, he can't have the one thing he wants. Harry and Ginny embark on a journey of self discovery while they try to live in a world where Voldemort no longer haunts them.
1. The Parting

_And ever has it been that love knows not its own depth until the hour of separation._

_**The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran**_

* * *

**The Parting **

Harry knew he was stumbling on his words – if he didn't clean this up fast, he would end up doing more harm than good.

"Ginny, I _want_ to be with you -" he hesitated, "But it makes me angry when I think about how we spent five years together at Hogwarts, _entire_ summers together, and now your moving to the other side of the world…" he paused again, "I wish I had paid more attention to what I was feeling… I was completely oblivious to all of it. We wasted so many opportunities because I'm a prat," he finished in a whisper.

Harry looked her in the eye as he spoke. Ginny hadn't turned from his gaze, but her eyes weren't telling him anything about what she was thinking. Ginny had always been good at that. He wished he was capable of that right now, because he was almost certain his eyes were pleading with her to respond positively to his words. Ginny's eyes dropped to the floor.

"Say something…" he whispered.

"I don't know what to say…" she countered. Her voice held a tinge of regret mingled with anger – but he knew it wasn't directed towards him, it was the situation they now found themselves facing. The war was over; how was this happening to them? "Harry, we can't…I mean, I can't…not after what…not yet."

She didn't have to finish. He knew. So this was how it was to be…a regret in their minds for what could have been.

"It's not that I don't want to. I would _love_ to", she continued, "but we are going in different directions now. You're here, doing amazing things, and I, well, I'm still trying to find out what I want my amazing things to be. I have to do this. I've spent so much time worrying about you, and wanting you to have the things you want that I forgot to even figure out what it is I want. And I know that now I'm about to deny you the one thing that will finally make you happy, but you need to understand that if I don't do this now, I'll never be happy with you." She said these things as if it were the first time she thought them. She didn't sound very upset about leaving him behind either. He was getting irritated.

"I'm not asking you to stay Gin, I'm just asking you to consider -"

"I know what you are asking, and I won't Harry. I think we both need this time. Obviously, neither of us wants to take it, but I think we both know we need it. We are still _teenagers_ Harry." She sat down on the bench and he moved to follow her. For a while, he just looked at her. She looked like she was gearing up for a struggle as she sat on the bench; her hands clutched the edge of the seat while she crouched forward, as if she didn't want to give in to sitting down for fear of never being able to get up.

It was January. Her cheeks were pink from the cold and her hair, the loose waves of red and orange he loved so much, was flowing out of the cap she was wearing to keep warm.

"Do you ever think about who you are, Harry?" she asked. He thought about the question for a moment. He knew who he was because since he was young, everyone had told him. But now, thinking about her question, he realized he had no idea what the answer was. The only answer he had ever known was the one everyone told him. Who was he?

"No, I don't think, I have," he answered airily.

"I know who I am now, but I don't know who I want to be. And in taking this apprenticeship, while I don't think I'll find the answer, I might get closer to it."

"I don't know who I want to be," he responded, not really listening to Ginny anymore. There was a new problem now, who the hell was he anyway? Ginny didn't mind, she wasn't really expecting him to have an answer for her.

She moved closer to him and placed her hand on his cheek. For a moment, she traced the lines of his jaw, as if she were trying to remember exactly what it felt like to touch him.

She moved in close then, embracing him. Her lips skimmed his neck as she whispered, "We have time."

She kissed him softly on the cheek, her lips barely making contact with his skin. She pulled away, and for once her eyes didn't try to hide what she was feeling - it didn't seem like she wanted them to. They told him she wasn't sure she even believed what she had just said to him. Did they have time? For months it was uncertain if they would ever have time and, now that they finally had it, he thought it was foolish to throw it away.

He watched her as she got up to collect her belongings and prepare to leave. This was the end. He hated not having the security of knowing when they would see each other again. For so long he had had control and now it felt as though he was feeling the loss of it for the first time in his life. He was beginning to think he had never had it.

She smiled at him as she lifted her bags, and raised her hand into the air to wave to him, as if they were miles apart already, even though there was hardly any space between them. She placed her coat on her arm and turned, not willing to say good-bye to the boy she had loved since before she could remember.

And that was how Ginny Weasley walked out of Harry Potter's life.


	2. The Great Outdoors

Thanks to DarkerRage for being a WONDEFUL beta! Also, many thanks to those who have reviewed. The more reviews the better! Enjoy!  
As always, I do not own Harry Potter, JK. Rowling and Warner Bros. do. I just like to play in their world.

All the loves we had  
All we ever knew  
Did they fill me with so many secrets  
That keep me from loving you'  
Cause it's hard, hard

_**That Teenage Feeling, Neko Case  
**_

* * *

**The Great Outdoors **

The air was cool as she unzipped the tent door and stepped out. The stars were bright tonight but then again, the stars were always bright in the middle of nowhere. This was how she liked it. The feeling of being cut-off, where it was impossible to worry about bills, work, what she was going to do with the rest of her life…

She walked towards the fire to warm up a bit. The rest of the crew were lounging around it, speaking, most likely, about one of the three things they always talked about around the fire: the virtue of muggle camping, the virtue of drinking, or the lack of any virtue in relationships. Ginny moved to grab a drink from the cooler near the camp.

"Ginny, where the hell did you get to? We have a question for you."

_Here we go_, she thought.

"So, Harry Potter, can he fly?"

"Honestly Duncan, I fully expected you would have come up with something new to ask me by now." But, she smiled during her response. Duncan usually opened the night with a random Harry Potter question for Ginny.

"Well, can he or not?" asked Kate.

"If you don't count the broomstick he uses, no, he can't." replied Ginny, an image of Harry playing Quidditch roving through her mind. Ginny sat down on a log near the fire as she opened the beer she had pulled from the cooler.

"Have a nice nap?" she asked the others, who nodded in reply. Hers had been lovely, given her sleeping quarters: a measly tent and worn-out sleeping bag. Ginny had been living in the wilderness of Australia for two years now. At times, she still woke up in the morning thinking she was back in The Burrow.

She had arrived in Australia to immediately begin an apprenticeship at the Australian Academy of Spell Conception and Innovation, the top institute in the world for the study of spell design and creation. During the war, Ginny had studied under McGonagall and Flitwick, furiously trying to develop new spells that would help them in the war effort when no one more experienced was available. She found she had a knack for it, and desired to explore the subject further. At the recommendation of Professor McGonagall, she applied for and was accepted to the Academy.

She wasn't lying to herself about what it meant to grab this apprenticeship. Thousands of applicants applied every year and only a handful was accepted. The academy required all recruits to complete a rigorous 5-year program, two of which were to be spent without any use of magic at all. Ironic, she thought, considering that she had finally gained the privilege to perform magic upon graduation at Hogwarts and now she was giving it up entirely.

How a new recruit opted to spend their two years of relinquished magic was entirely their choice, but they were required to spend it within the confines of Australia and with four other applicants, one of which was born into a muggle family. Upon arrival in Australia, she had decided that if she was going to do this, she was going to do it right. So, she opted for the Wilderness, which basically was the muggle equivalent of 'roughing it'.

It wasn't the safest road; Australia was home to some of the world's deadliest creatures. But, she figured if she could survive the fall of Voldemort, she could survive anything.

Boy had she been wrong.

Getting used to camping 'the real way', as Duncan had called it, was not easy. Duncan had explained the ins and outs of it to Kate and Ginny, both extremely inexperienced where camping was concerned. He told them what to expect: sleeping in a tent on the ground, having a proper sleeping bag that would keep you warm through all the elements, understanding the virtue of water, getting comfortable with abandoning all forms of oral hygiene…

Ginny romanticized it in her mind as becoming one with nature and convinced herself that she was strong enough. Camping would be completely natural to her – she had never been a girl's girl anyway.

The first night in the great outdoors, it had poured. Her tent, pitched on a slope, collected puddles of water in the corners. Getting along without magic wasn't going to be that easy after all. She desperately wished she could apply a quick drying charm to her tent. At least one thing had worked, her sleeping bag had kept her extremely warm – that was until the down feathers inside it got soaked when her tent caved in on her, leaving her freezing in the cold night air.

By the second week, she was miserable. She hadn't showered properly since they'd left Sidney and they hadn't seen running water in days – which provided the only way to shower in the wilderness. Her hair was like dreadlocks. She didn't feel entirely bad – She and Kate, being just as inexperienced and just as miserable, had become fast friends during their rants of criticism for 'roughing it'. Born in England, Kate was raised Romania, with blonde hair and striking blue eyes that made you feel like you were peering in to the depths of something you never thought existed.

Later in the night, during the second week, Duncan made a run into the local town and came back with a surprise for the camp. Whiskey. Of course, it wasn't as strong as Firewhiskey, but right then, Ginny just wanted to be numb to the elements, and the year and 50 weeks ahead of her. Lynn and Lorne joined them around the fire and they didn't even bother to pour the contents into a glass because no one was in the mood to deal with the clean up; they just passed the bottle. And this was how the group of five learned each other's darkest secrets.

Alcohol, Ginny would learn, is directly related to honesty. The more of it you drink the more secrets you are willing to divulge and the deeper you are willing to dig. It was a liberating experience, releasing the things that were weighing her down. But, it left her feeling incredibly guilty the next morning when she woke up with a pounding headache and the knowledge of what she had told everyone the night before. Ginny, in the past two years had learned the virtue of sobering charms too and missed them dearly.

As they passed the whiskey, Lynn began a game that required one to state something they had never done. If someone else in the circle had done what was stated, then they would be required to drink. It was a great way to get to know each other.

"I've never been ice-skating," said Lynn. Duncan quickly took a pull from the bottle. He was from Arizona, in the States, where ice very rarely stuck around for long.

"You've never been ice-skating?!?" asked Ginny, alarmed. And this was how she learned Duncan was from Arizona, in the States, and that it was a desert. The game proceeded on this way for hours, and in those hours each of them had learned many things about their companions, things that most other people close to them have probably never known.

As the whiskey dwindled, the questions became more intense.

"I've never cheated on a significant other," said Duncan. Lynn drank, taking a swig. She explained that she'd had a boyfriend in England once, who was, for all intents and purposes, cheating on her. In retaliation, she decided it was high time she let him know what it felt like. He caught her in bed with another woman. Her now ex-boyfriend had been pleading for her to come back ever since. Lynn, who was the oldest in the group at 23 (Ginny was the youngest at 18), would become a wealth of knowledge to the group throughout their adventure.

"I've never been in love," countered Lynn. Ginny reached for the bottle from Lynn and, without examining the faces in the circle, took a long hard drink from it – she was going to need it for what was undoubtedly going to be a Q and A. When she was done, she brought her eyes upon the people sitting around the fire. Apparently, even though she was the youngest, she was the only one who had ever been in love - everyone was looking at her with gaping mouths.

Up until then, Ginny had drunk quite a lot, mainly because she done many things that had been asked to the group. But now they were entering a territory that she wasn't sure she was ready for. She didn't miss the glint in everyone eyes – they had finally discovered her secret. Those sitting around the fire realized they had just struck gold. Apparently Ginny Weasley was a firecracker in disguise.

"Are you still in love, Ginny?" asked Kate quietly. Ginny thought the question strange – she was expecting the first question to be something along the lines of _who_ she loved, not if she still was in love.

"Yes."

"Who is he…or is it a she!?" cried Duncan.

"I'd rather not discuss _his_ identity."

"Oh come on Ginny, that's not fair! Lynn just told us she cheated on someone and Geez, Duncan once broke into a famous Muggle museum just to enchant the paintings! You can't withhold a measly name when we've all just told you some of our darkest secrets!" huffed Lorne.

Ginny sighed; Lorne wouldn't be saying these things if he knew who her secret was. She deliberated. In the end, she presumed, it would be better for them to know. With the way things were going, by the end of this trip they were going to be best friends and she wouldn't want to keep something like the person she loved from them would she? The alcohol was talking now, but she didn't care. She hadn't even said his name since the day she left. She needed to release this one secret.

"Alright, Lorne, I'll tell you. But, on one condition." Her words were slurred.

"And what's that?" Lorne asked, a smile forming at the corners of his mouth. Ginny knew he had heard the slur of her words too. Damn.

"You cannot ask me any questions about him after I tell you."

"Well, geez Ginny, I just want a name, it's not like I want to stalk the boy." He chided.

"Harry Potter."

Silence, and more gaping mouths followed her exclamation.

"Did you say Harry Potter?" Duncan asked, in disbelief.

"Yes."

"You're in love with Harry Potter?! Honestly Ginny, a crush is a crush…"

That was over the line, she knew it. But she couldn't fault them. There was no way they could have know that she had loved him since she was small.

"It is not a crush," she managed, with the most sincerity she could muster, "we've known each other since I was ten years old." It was getting away from her now and she knew at this moment she had absolutely had too much to drink.

"Does he love you back?" Kate asked.

"I don't know. I think so. We've never verbally said those words to each other. But, in some ways, I don't think we have to."

"Harry bloody Potter…" Duncan was saying repeatedly in a whisper.

"Duncan, I didn't even think you would know of him, I mean, you're-" Ginny began.

"Know of him! Jesus, Ginny, he's a god damn modern saviour according to the newspapers. His face was plastered everywhere for weeks last summer after he'd killed You-know-who."

Ginny was hoping things wouldn't go there, but it was already too late. She took another pull from the bottle and then passed it off to Lorne. She wrapped her arms around her body, moving her hands to warm up. Kate glanced at Ginny from across the fire, the light flickering in her eyes. She knew exactly what Ginny had been through and also knew she was about to be deluged with twenty questions.

"You were there weren't you? When he fought Voldemort? I remember reading about you – you were the reason he could kill him…my god Ginny, he must be crazy about you. He couldn't have succeeded in the end if he wasn't. I can't believe I didn't put it together sooner – I knew I recognized your name from somewhere…" Kate trailed off.

Everyone was glaring at Kate for what she had just said – they had no idea what was going on anymore.

Lorne chimed in, "Ginny… you fought Voldemort?"

"No."

She hadn't spoken about any of it since it had happened, not even to herself, let alone Harry. It was too raw. But, something about this place, about being 'one with nature' had made her finally feel ready to release everything she had kept buried for so long. It didn't seem right not to when she was in the middle of nowhere with four other people she barely knew.

She began from the beginning; how they had met, how she had thought she was madly in love with him during her first two years at Hogwarts, how she had deeply embarrassed herself numerous times with her crush on him. She told the story of the Philosopher's Stone, of her brother and Hermione and their role in Harry's life. She blushed when she briefly mentioned the Riddle Diary and how Harry had saved her from a basilisk. She went into detail during her discussion of the Triwizard Tournament and Cedric's death and how that was the way it was discovered that Voldemort had returned and that times wouldn't be easy or as happy any longer. Lorne mentioned that he remembered when that had happened - his sister had been in Fleur's year at Beauxbatons.

She described the darkness, not knowing if your family would survive through the day. She didn't sob, but tears silently escaped down her cheeks as she discussed her fear of losing her brothers…she had so many of them, she didn't think they could all survive the war, which was something she had never told anyone. Ever. _And they didn't all survive..._

She told them of the Department of Mysteries and the death of Harry's godfather, Sirius. The members of the circle took in a breath of air as she described the events of that night. Lynn continually repeated, _"Can you imagine?"_ in between slow tears of disbelief at the life Ginny and her friends had experienced.

She smiled a little when she described the first time Harry had kissed her after the Quidditch match, but it faded as she began to discuss Dumbledore's death and Snape and how they had been betrayed. When she discussed Harry's decision to finish what he and Dumbledore had started and how that meant he could no longer be with her, Kate sighed. Her eyes met with Ginny for a moment, as if, even though they barely knew each other, she already understood who she was and what that must have meant to her.

She told them how Harry had left Hogwarts and had collected the final Horcruxes, only to discover that Voldemort would not be so easily defeated. And finally, she explained to them that it was the love other people possessed for Harry, and the love that he returned to them that finally allowed him to win the battle he'd been fighting since he was small. The love of her family, her parents and brothers, the love of his best friends Ron and Hermione, and the love of the people who had guided him, Remus and Hagrid.

She told them how she had fought in the final battle, against Death Eaters, never really seeing Voldemort until he had died and withered to a pile of ash. She told them how, as the sun crested up against the windows of the castle, Harry had found her cradling the body of her brother, Charlie, killed by Bellatrix Lestrange, whose body lay in a heap nearby. Harry had scooped her into his arms and held her until she wasn't numb anymore.

When she had finished, she felt exhausted and weak, but also light, airy and, surprisingly, sober.

The circle was silent for a while, the fire just embers now and the whiskey long gone. Ginny suddenly found she was cold. No one asked her any questions, and she felt relieved, as if she had covered every detail of the past eight years of her life, even though she knew she had left many things out.

Lynn was the first to move. She picked herself and walked over to Ginny, pulling her into an embrace. She cried then, cried until she wasn't numb anymore.

"Ginny, hello? Are you in there somewhere?" she heard a voice pulling her back from her memories of their first drunken night together. Somewhere in the depths of her mind she was being dragged back to the present.

"Ginny, are you alright?" asked Kate, watching her closely.

"Huh? Oh yeah, I'm fine, I was just thinking, is all."

"Well, we were thinking about rolling in to the town to end our last night the same way we began the trip – with a nice bottle of whiskey." Duncan said, not entirely sure it was kosher to bring whiskey in to The Circle again, as it had now been named by the five of them. They hadn't had whiskey since the night Ginny told them of her association with Voldemort and Harry Potter.

She had a new found respect for being in the wilderness after that night. No amount of rain or puddles in her tent could ruin her feeling towards being so cut-off from responsibility and civilization. She could tell her darkest secrets and no one would ever know. It was as if a secret bond had been formed between the five of them. What they said in The Circle, stayed there. In the future, she would look back on her experiences here and count them among the best years of her life.

"Oh, really? Well, if it's anything like last time, then I'm sure we'll have a ball." She smiled, but no one ignored the tinge of sarcasm in her voice. She told Duncan after that night of whiskey binging that she would never touch the stuff again and she certainly intended to keep that promise. There was still something there, gnawing at her soul, something she hadn't told the other four in The Circle that night, something she hadn't told anyone about the night Voldemort died. She hoped she never would.


	3. The Letters

**Disclaimer**: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.

I greatly apologize for the lack of updates - I've been in between countries and moving. I promise updates will be more frequent for at least a little while. Thanks to Angel for being a lovely beta! Also - as always, R and R!

* * *

Your joy is your sorrow unmasked. And the selfsame well from which your laughter rises was oftentimes filled with your tears. And how else can it be? The deeper that sorrow carves into your being, the more joy you can contain. 

**_The Prophet_** – Kahlil Gibran

* * *

**The Letters **

The world was encompassed in the last hours of twilight, gently gliding across the expanse of the skyline. The Quidditch World-Cup had long since ended and Harry was sitting next to the trophy just below the Minister's sky-box in the stands.

He leaned back, his hands placed behind his head. He'd been sitting like this for hours, ever since the press for the match had ended and the fans had begun to disperse. They had won - the Cannons, 617 to 606. It was the longest game of Quidditch Harry had ever played - 14 hours. He smiled whimsically as he picked up the trophy. This was what playing Quidditch was for – winning.

Unfortunately, that wasn't going to be enough anymore.

He picked up his broom and prepared to head for the locker room - there would be one last round of press interviews in a few hours. During that time, he would be announcing his departure from the professional Quidditch world. He grabbed the piece of paper that had been sitting under the trophy and walked down the steps that led out of the stadium; all 1050 of them. He needed time to think.

As he neared the bottom of the stadium, he turned the hall into the locker room. He still hadn't showered since the end of the match five hours ago and he still needed to pick up his gear. No one was in the facility yet, but the other players would be arriving soon - no doubt inebriated from celebrating the win. It had been a joke amongst teammates that the only way to handle press interviews was to handle them slightly intoxicated.

He turned on the hot water in the shower as he pulled off his clothes, placing them in a heap in the corner of the room. He sauntered over to the shower, showering quickly, in order to have time to prepare his press statement - his agent had insisted upon it; too often, since entering the public-eye again as a sports player, had Harry entered a press conference without being fully prepared for the questions. If he wasn't left with a mouth gaping openly at the audacity of the press then he was in the front row brawling with them. He silently laughed as he thought of the conversation with his publicist the previous night.

_"Now Harry, the wizarding world is not going to be happy about losing their favourite seeker."_

_"I know, Colin, I know."_

_"So, please, let them down gently - will you? I took the liberty of typing up a press release for you - read it over before the morning. We won't have much time, so let me know if you want changes immediately."_

_"Alright, Colin, alright."_

Harry hadn't read it. He wasn't going to read it. But, he would tell Colin he had read it, and that it was fine. He trusted the man, he might be a bit obsessive at times, but he was a nice guy and, hey, publicists were supposed to be obsessive.

Harry stepped out of the shower and, grabbing a towel, opened the door to his locker. He, like many times before, was bombarded by a photo Mrs. Weasley had taken during his seventh year. He was standing near the lake at Hogwarts and smiling, having just graduated. He had been happy then, much happier than he was now. He grunted at the irony of it all; the picture had been taken before Voldemort had even been defeated.

_But that didn't matter back then_, he thought, as he pulled on some clothes. The source of his contentment was the person his arms were wrapped around in the picture.

Ginny Weasley.

He stood, his hair still dripping wet, smiling at the picture. He often wondered if the source of Ginny's departure was all those years he wasted avoiding her.

"Am I interrupting something here, mate? Would you like some time alone with yourself and your picture then?"

Harry looked up, surprised someone was up as early as he. It was Ron, standing in the entry of the locker room, leaning against the door with a look on his face that would have made Voldemort blush. Harry grabbed his towel and threw it at Ron.

"Yeah, maybe I do - you mind?"

Ron grunted, and walked into the locker room instead.

"I'm going to miss you mate - it won't be the same without you."

Ron was quiet for a moment, looking whimsical. Harry knew his best mate: he was contemplating the most tactful way to broach the elephant in the room.

"I know I've asked this before, but are you sure about this?" Ron asked, almost inaudibly.

"Yeah," Harry said, refusing to make eye contact with Ron, "Never been more sure of anything in my life."

"Well, I don't know about that," said Ron, tossing his head towards the picture Harry had been staring at moments before.

Harry looked up as a wry smile played on his lips. They both knew Ron's words were true.

* * *

It was late - just a few hours before sunrise. Everyone had gone to bed slightly intoxicated, both from the wine and the silent desert night. Even though it was August, the nights were still cool and the embers of the fire they had been enjoying earlier had long since gone out. Still, Ginny found she was rather warm. Lying on her back, she stared up at the stars. She wanted to remember this. 

The loneliness of night was often welcomed by her; it gave her time to reflect upon the path her life was treading down. She would be returning to begin classes soon. She had time to give her life more direction, but not much.

She missed her family greatly. She wondered if it would be different. She worried, would her family still know her? She was certain she wasn't the same person she had been two years ago. Thinking in the twilight of summer, she suddenly felt compelled to use this new identity to become something bigger than the designations that were developed by others to describe her role in the wizarding world; no longer would she be Ron's little sister or Harry Potter's girlfriend, or a surviving warrior. She would simply be Ginny. That's what she was here, to the people she had met. Just…Ginny. She liked that.

She found that comforting. Somehow, she was _changed _or perhaps just more aware – not of who she was (that was still a long road ahead) but at least of what had defined her so far.

Her family and friends.

The war.

Harry.

She thought about Harry at night. What path was his life travelling on? Did it contain a merge with hers? Was he happy? She silently wished, in Merlin's name, that he was.

In the morning, Ginny arrived at the entrance to the academy via portkey. She was suddenly very much aware that she had not cleansed her body in several days and her clothes were covered in dried mud. She hadn't seen a mirror in weeks, and could only imagine what she looked like. Judging from the stares she was receiving, it couldn't be good.

She found Kate and they quickly entered the building in search of the wand directory that housed the wands they had surrendered before departing two years ago. The line was long, and she felt bad for the people who were standing behind her and Kate…they must have smelled horrible. She silently giggled, finding the entire situation hilarious.

The line moved quickly and soon Ginny and Kate were holding their wands with smiles of glee plastered on their faces. Ginny had missed her wand greatly. It had been an ally during the hardest moments of her life and she was grateful to know it was safely in her hands once again. She sent up red sparks, making sure that it really was hers and still functioning properly. They quickly walked up to the dormitories after receiving their housing assignments, glad to discover that they would be roommates with Lynn.

Ginny and Kate entered their room. It was spacious, with large windows overlooking the coast. The tapestries were baby blue and dark brown. Fitting, she thought, as she strolled over and opened the doors to the balcony overlooking the shoreline. She was immediately assaulted by the smell of the sea. It was refreshing.

Kate claimed one of the four beds and Ginny was quick to follow, taking the one nearest to the balcony. She placed her backpack on her bed, happy to see her trunk had already been delivered.

Sitting on top of it was a rather small pile of letters addressed to her. Only four letters.

She picked them up and began flipping through them as Lynn entered the room.

"Well, girls, will you believe this?! I've been here only an hour and I've already been offered two phone numbers! Wait until Lorne hears this!"

Ginny laughed. Naturally, Lynn had declined all offers, being more inclined to Lorne's. At some point, during their two years moving around the wilderness almost like cavemen, Lynn and Lorne had fallen for each other and Ginny didn't think either of them would be taking anyone else's number for a very long time…

Kate and Lynn became engrossed in a discussion about the next three years, while Ginny chimed in every now and then. She was distracted by the letters waiting for her on the trunk, desperate to know what had happened in the lives of her friends and family. She looked up when she noticed the lull in Kate and Lynn's conversation. They were silently staring at her.

"What?" responded Ginny, perhaps with too much nonchalance.

Lynn rolled her eyes, "Well, go ahead then. Open 'em!"

Kate laughed at Ginny's feeble attempt to act uninterested while she moved to pick up her own pile of letters – quickly becoming enthralled in the contents.

"Well, I call the bath then," exclaimed Lynn, relishing in wand-use as she unpacked her things and entered the bathroom.

Ginny followed suit, unpacking her things into the dresser nearest her bed. She flipped through the pile of letters again, eventually deciding to open a letter from Bill.

_Hey Runt,_

_I won't bore you with the details of what you have missed while you were away for two years since I have already been informed that mum and Hermione have covered that area. Suffice it to say that you missed a few weddings, all insanely mundane as usual, and lots of laughs from Fred and George. You've also missed Ron's attempts at pretending to be uninterested in a relationship with Hermione and mum's incessant nagging. So, obviously nothing here has changed._

_In bigger (literally) news, Fleur is pregnant. The baby is due in February. And no, you have not missed any other babies – this will be your first niece or nephew. We haven't told the family yet, so keep it quiet for a while. It's crazy to think I'm going to be father. I mean, me, a father?! You've got to be joking! Who, in their right mind, would place me in charge of raising another human being?! _

_How was the wildlife in Australia's back country? Did you survive without your wand? Any boys you fancy? I know, I know, only one will do, right? Well, you should know that the one in particular has been…well, to be honest I don't know what he has been but it certainly isn't Harry. Do try to talk to him will you? All attempts that have been made by the Weasleys have floundered._

_Well, at any rate, write when you return. Fred and George have been driving everyone crazy since you left. We need you back so you can keep them in line!_

_Your favourite brother (don't lie, you know it's true),_

_Bill_

Ginny smiled, so, she had missed weddings. She didn't mind, she wasn't much for weddings. After the effort that had gone into Bill's, she was quite content to never experience another one again. She hoped she hadn't missed much of anything else. But how exciting it would be to be an aunt! She had major plans to play the all-encompassing corruptor among her nieces and nephews. It was the least she could do to get back them for the torture that was what she liked to call "growing up with evil boys."

After reading the first letter, she took the rest with her into the bath. She summoned lavender scented bubble bath as the water poured over her. She wasn't entirely sure how she had survived so many months without this. It felt absolutely _wonderful_. She picked up the next letter from Hermione.

_Dear Gin,_

_Forgive me for not having written you sooner – my job has left me with very little time. I've taken a teaching position at Hogwarts – Transfiguration. It's quite strange. I never thought I would be interested in teaching. But, after seeing Hogwarts destroyed, I couldn't justify not helping. The students deserve to experience Hogwarts. The reconstruction efforts ended about a year after you left and we hosted a grand opening which seemed to lift some of the dark clouds that had surrounded the community since the War. It isn't quite as charming as it was when we were students, but it has a few new aspects that make up for the lost history._

_Neville will be joining the staff too as our resident Herbologist this fall. Minerva (it is still very odd, calling her by her first name!) tried to convince Harry to accept the Defense Against the Dark Arts position, but he adamantly refused – not surprising in the least. I wish he would have; all of the other professors are so old and often boring (except Minerva, she really is a fire-cracker – you wouldn't believe the stories she has to tell!). _

_I'm having a wonderful time here – although it's rather strange to be in a position of authority. But, not needing a teacher's note to explore the restricted section of the library has been fabulous! There are so many interesting texts I've never read before! Some older than the founders – can you believe it? _

_I told Ronald to write to you, has he? His season with the Cannons just wrapped up. Can you believe it – well I guess not since you wouldn't know… Ron and Harry are playing the World Cup! I don't exactly know which team they will be playing (you're probably furious with me for not knowing), but they are undefeated, just like the Cannons. I'm so happy for them – I don't think either of them believes it's really happening. But, I'll be glad when the season ends – Ron and I haven't really seen much of each other._

_Ginny, how do I convince him that I'm sick of this ruddy friendship and want something more? I'm tired of waiting…I'm about ready to just attack him and throw him in a bedroom! ADVICE! Please!! _

_Harry, I know, has not written you. His _excuse_, so he puts it, is that he doesn't really understand the purpose of writing letters to someone who can't reply…he's always been a bit thick, Ginny, so don't get too angry with him. He does socialize with us, and he always comes to the Burrow (mainly because your mum threatens to never feed him again). At times though, he looks perplexed or dreamy. He is planning something big – you know that look. As usual, he won't let Ron and me in on the secret. But, he is doing rather well without you so don't worry. _

_There really isn't much in excitement around here lately. The Aurors have been working to catch remaining death eaters and have been fairly successful. The three-year anniversary went well. Of course, the ministry hosted a large celebration in Diagon Alley. It lasted three days – can you imagine? It was more like a carnival than a memoriam. Harry was livid and planned a small memorial service at Hogwarts to commemorate everyone. It was really rather nice, but sad all the same._

_It's difficult to believe this much time has passed. It all feels like we should still be battling for our lives…do you ever feel that way Ginny? Ron and Harry are bottlers you know. They don't talk about things, but I need to talk about things. Sometimes I wake up and think I'm still in that lake…I re-live it all Ginny, at least once a week, in my dreams. And it still terrifies me._

_Enough about me - in happier news, Remus has apparently disappeared with Tonks. They left a note at Grimmauld Place sometime in May and haven't been heard from since. No one is quite sure where they have got to, but I guess that was the point. I won't go into detail on other big news as your brother (and I won't say which one…) made me promise not to reveal too much. _

_I don't know if you will receive this in time, but I would like to wish you a VERY happy birthday. I hope, wherever you are, you are having a wonderful time. As soon as you have returned, write to me, I miss you!! I want to know all about it! What is the institute like? What are they teaching you? _

_Love,_

_Hermione_

Hermione was always able to put her mind at ease. She figured Harry wasn't much for letters. But, she did not like the sound of Hermione's nightmares.

She hadn't even finished reading her pile and she was already wiped out. She looked at the other two letters; one from her father and the other from Ron. Apparently Hermione's nagging had indeed paid off.

Ginny reappeared from the bathroom feeling rather tired. She pulled back the sheets on her bed and rested her head on her pillow. As she drifted between the land of sleep and dreams, she realized she had entirely too many letters to write. Naturally, she could always create multiple copies of the same letter and send them off to everyone she had missed over the past few years. Ginny laughed, her mum would be furious if she did that.

* * *

Harry Potter entered the office of the Chudley Cannons coach. The press junket had gone surprising well, considering he just told the wizarding world he wouldn't be around England much longer. 

"Hi." Harry said, leaning against the frame of the doorway.

"Hullo, Potter." The coach did not look up while he spoke the words.

"Here you are then," said Harry, handing him a document.

"So, this is your official resignation then? There is NOTHING I can do to convince you to stay on the team?" The coach sounded defeated, as if he had already lost all of next season's matches.

"No, I'm sorry, there isn't." Harry turned to leave the office.

"This woman really threw you for a loop didn't she?"

"Sir?"

"The woman - you know, the one that has plastered that lost look on your face?" The coach looked down again and shook his head, muttering, "Your walking out on your future."

"No," Harry responded, _I didn't walk out on my future, it walked out on me, _"This just isn't for me anymore. Thanks for helping me out with the contract negotiations – I owe you one."

"Anytime, Potter. If you change your mind - the door is always open."

"Thanks," and with that Harry exited the office.

Harry walked back to the locker room to pick up his gear. Broom in hand, he apparated to his flat. Placing his things near the doorway, he walked to his bedroom and grabbing a piece of parchment and a quill, he sat down and began drafting the letter he knew would be one of the most difficult he would ever have to write.

* * *

"Ah, Miss Weasley, please come in and have a seat," said the woman standing in front of her with an American drawl.

Ginny entered the office of Ms. Umlauf, her newly assigned advisor. Each student was required to regularly meet with their advisors to discuss coursework and future plans every six months. This was Ginny's first meeting.

Ms. Umlauf was a witch. Or rather, a witch that very much resembled the stereotype portrayed by Muggles during Halloween. Her hair was midnight black extending well past her lower back. She wore it simply; perfectly straight and parted to the side. Her eyes were hazel with a surprisingly yellow tinge to them, like the eyes of a cat. She looked to be in her mid-thirties, rather young for a witch in a position of authority at the Institute. She was dressed entirely in black:

Black flowing skirt. Check.

Silk shirt showing perhaps a little too much cleavage. Check.

Black nail polish. Check.

Red lipstick. Check.

Ginny was fairly certain all she was missing was a cape and pointy hat. She surveyed the room and stifled a laugh as she noticed the remaining two articles placed on a chair near the door.

"Well, I trust your two years were enlightening? You did the back country tract, correct?"

"Yes, it was definitely interesting," replied Ginny as memories flowed through her mind.

"Now that your two years have passed, you will be entering the second phase of your training: general, but intense, coursework for one year. This is followed by two years of intense study in a particular area, or areas, of choice."

Ginny piped up. "So, I am able to study more than one area?" she asked hopefully.

"It's possible yes, but we usually discourage it. Many times, one area is difficult enough to immerse oneself in, let alone multiple. But, let's not jump ahead. There will be plenty of time for all of this later."

Ginny resigned herself to let Ms. Umlauf finish.

"Now, we have multiple courses to offer. We demand that our students take a total of fifteen courses within the year; ideally five per semester, over three semesters. Although, some have taken up to seven in one semester; allotting fewer for the next. We usually issue time-turners for this type of schedule, but it is rare that we approve such a class load. Understand, Ms. Weasley, that what you will learn in one semester over three months, you would typically learn in one year at Hogwarts."

Ginny swallowed hard. This program sounded rather intense and she now realized that she had just sent herself back to the dungeon that is usually found in the dictionary under the heading _school_.

"…Now, the types of courses we offer cover a wide-range of topics. The difference between this Institute is that our courses cover topics you are most likely not familiar with, or at least have not been introduced to in previous coursework.

"We do not include common subjects, such as Charms, Potions, Astronomy, etc. Since you are already comfortable with these courses, we do not teach them."

"I don't understand. We haven't covered every charm or spell. We must have skipped some material," said Ginny.

Ms. Umlauf smiled at this. "That's true. Of course you have not learned every spell. But, that also isn't our objective here. Most students who begin here have been programmed to accept certain spells. Let me show you what I mean. Summon my hat with your wand, please."

Ginny removed her wand for her pocket and spoke "_Accio Hat_," summoning the hat to her lap.

"Wonderful."

Ginny wasn't exactly sure why this was amazing, she had learned the charm in her fourth year easily enough.

"Ms. Umlauf, I'm not sure I understand-"

"Please, call my Nevaeh. You will find we are rather informal here."

"Alright, Nevaeh," said Ginny, feeling odd, "I don't understand why a simple summoning charm is, well, wonderful."

"It is not. This is the foundation of the Institute. Let me ask you a question. How did you summon my hat to your lap?"

"I used my wand."

"No, that is a _what_; I'm asking _how_ you did it."

"I said the word _Accio_."

"But, that doesn't explain to me how you actually did it or why it worked."

"I'm not entirely sure why it does work," Ginny said, after a moments thought.

"Exactly my point. Here, we create new charms, spells, potions. The first step in the creation process is understanding how and why something works. How can you create something when you don't understand the things you already know? Why do you say the word _Accio _to summon objects? Why does a Pepper-Up potion require a counter-clockwise turn half way through brewing? Why does a mandrake bite cause illness? This is what you will do in your first year. We will create a list of courses for your first semester that will cover the principles behind the spells and charms most commonly used."

Ginny smiled and said pensively, "…If we understand why all of the above works then we can apply it to create new spells."

"Well done," said Nevaeh, smiling, "This program will explain to you why these spells work and how to create new ones that work just as well. But, even though the first year is intense, the steps you will be taking are small. You must begin by re-programming the way you think. Right now, you look at spells as a tool. When you graduate, you will look them as an art.

"The courses offered for the first year consist of two components: Magical Theory and Application Processes. The former will teach you _how_ the summoning charm works and _why_ you, with specific wand movements and word pronunciation, can cast it. The latter will teach you how to create new charms based on the same principles."

Ginny was fascinated. These were questions she had always wondered about but had been too embarrassed to ask; assuming everyone already knew the answer. She had often thought about these things during her hours of star gazing in the desert. Why did these spells work? And who created them? How did you create them? I guess it made sense now, relinquishing her magic for two years. It certainly had given her plenty of time to think about magic and why it existed or how it worked.

She pulled herself from her thoughts to find Nevaeh eyeing her closely and smiling.

"Yes, Ms. Weasley, I do believe your two years have been spent wisely. The back country tract always provides students with thought-provoking questions. Now, we should begin by discussing your background," she said, as she began to flip through a file that was resting on her desk, "You had Outstanding grades in all your coursework except for Ancient Runes, History of Magic and Arithmancy. While these grades are above average for our program, it was not the weighing factor in your acceptance. Your field experience resulted in our department offering you a position here. Now, Ms. Weasley -"

"Please, call me Ginny. I don't understand - what does field experience have to do with the program?"

"Working in the classroom, under supervision, is one thing. Working in the field is completely different. You are not being told what to do; you are independently applying your knowledge. Basically, your experience illustrated that you could function, quite successfully, under pressure and without being prompted."

"Oh…," replied Ginny. She wasn't exactly sure if being 'under pressure' was the right phrase for battling Death Eaters.

"There are approximately thirty courses available during your first year. Many of them will be new topics to you. As I mentioned, your first semester will consist of a schedule we create for you. It will cover areas we feel you are both strong and weak in. The courses you take during your last two semesters will be decided by you, with my approval. While we adhere to old principles in Transfiguration, Charms, and Potions, we also offer an array of second and third year courses ranging from time and space, theoretical magic, research seminars, independent research, the human psyche and soul, life and death, muggle science, potion chemistry, muggle medicine versus wizard medicine, and history of magical theory, to name just a few."

Nevaeh pulled a rather large text out of her drawer and, muttering a shrinking charm, handed it to Ginny.

"Here is a list of our current courses being offered over the next five years. I suggest you keep this in a safe place and review it regularly."

Ginny grabbed the book from Nevaeh and began to flip through it. She was intrigued by a number of courses.

"In the meantime, classes begin on the 20th of August, at 8am sharp, no exceptions. Here is your schedule. Please examine it and let me know if there is anything you would like to be changed."

Ginny took the parchment from her and looked over her course load. Introduction to Potion Theory and Application – at least Snape wouldn't be teaching it – Charm Theory and Application, Theoretical Arithmancy – that sucked, she hated numbers – Muggle Science, and Transfiguration Theory and Application.

"Well, how does it look? We placed you in courses you were familiar within order to build up your analytical strength. In the following semesters you will be able to take more focused courses in these and other areas. Do you have any questions?"

"Yes…I have one. Muggle Science – what is that course about?" said Ginny, somewhat sheepishly.

"Ah, excellent question. Sorry, I completely forgot to explain this. Every student in their first year is required to take at least two semesters of Muggle Science. The goal of the Institute is to understand magic as it pertains to the world. And, as such, the world does not just encompass wizards and witches. It also includes muggles. To that end, we incorporate a group of courses based on topics muggles study," Ginny raised her eyebrows in question of this practice as Nevaeh continued, "This may seem a bit odd, but consider this. Most muggles are unaware of the existence of magic, which makes them extremely objective to the human endeavor of knowledge and discovery. This makes their perspective extremely valuable to us, as witches and wizards . . . "

"…because their ideas help us find the holes in our own," Ginny finished.

"Correct, and vice versa. Muggles are really quite interesting. There are many things they have done that no witch or wizard has been capable of. In addition, there are a number of things that Muggles seem to understand better than we do. Most of these achievements have been born out of their fields of engineering and science."

"Like what?" asked Ginny, curiously.

"Well, for starters, they seem to have a better handle on how the universe formed. They understand chemistry in more detail than we do. For example, we understand that bubotuber pus causes boils on the skin, whereas, the chemist could explain exactly _why_ it happens."

"It is our long term objective to give voice to the theories and principles found in the Muggle world, though slowly."

"Why has this not been considered before?"

"It has, some have been working on it for hundreds of years."

Ginny eyed her advisor with disbelief. "If that were the case, then why have I not heard of any of these things before now?"

"You have, you just don't know it."

Ginny wasn't buying it.

"But, there is a very important reason for keeping this information secret," Nevaeh paused, looking somewhat solemn, "Ginny, I'm sure you have encountered this before – muggles are not exactly the favourite life form to some witches and wizards. Thus, there are some who would not be very happy to learn that muggle thought has been partly responsible for much of the innovative spellwork that has been developed over the past hundred years. Granted, some of the best magic we have was developed ages ago. But, that doesn't mean we need to stop trying. So, we keep this research under wraps because if it were to become public it could possibly be stopped."

"I understand."

"Excellent, now, any other questions?"

Ginny shook her head, exasperated by the amount of information she was receiving, and absolutely certain she would have ten thousand questions once she was no longer near Nevaeh.

"That's perfectly fine," Nevaeh smiled, "we keep an open-door policy. Stop by with questions anytime. Before you leave, I have one more thing to discuss that is crucial to your studies here."

"Alright," said Ginny, nervousness rising in her stomach at Nevaeh's sudden sterile tone of voice.

Nevaeh leaned over her desk and eyed Ginny closely as she spoke assertively, her words sounding crisp on her tongue yet oddly comforting. "We need to discuss your past experiences, Ginny. We require a heavy course load and research of all our students. Often times, this lifestyle does not fit everyone we accept into the program. Of course, they are all exceptional students, but they cannot handle the stress that is placed on them by the demands of the program.

"I bring this to your attention because your past is quite unusual when compared to the average student. Ginny – you must prepare yourself for this program because it is not a forgiving one. I know you are prepared mentally, but you must also be prepared emotionally. If you are holding something in or guarding something, you must stop now. Open your mind."

Ginny could feel the barricades of her mind being lightly probed; Nevaeh was trying to read her mind and Ginny was not at all pleased about it as she reinforced the stronghold that protected her thoughts.

Nevaeh had definitely felt it, but was lost in her thoughts and Ginny didn't miss the look in her eyes, "Ginny, what are you hiding?" Nevaeh finally asked.

"Excuse me?" Ginny asked with a quiet anger that was barely simmering below the surface.

Nevaeh tactfully ignored the question, instead giving an offer of peace, by saying softly, "We want you to grow as a witch and to do that you need to feel comfortable with yourself and your past."

Ginny didn't know how to respond.

"Understand, that I did not ask because I am interested in your personal life. I ask because the answer has implications for your future at the Institute. I don't think I need to reiterate the intensity of our program, Ms. Weasley. I will not apologize for trying to access your thoughts, we usually require that for new applicants. However, your circumstances are delicate. Ginny, if you do not take control of the corner of your mind that is eating away at you, you will not succeed here." Nevaeh stood and moved towards the door, before adding, "And trust me, the wizarding world wants you to succeed." Nevaeh's eyes did not leave Ginny's gaze.

"What do you mean the wizarding world wants me to succeed? They hardly even know me." she said with a flare of sarcasm and anger. She chided herself silently – she sounded too serious.

Nevaeh chose to avoid answering Ginny's question. "Perhaps it won't be a problem now. But, trust me, it will in the future. One of the reasons we require new students to relinquish their magic for two years is to allow them time to work past things that are holding them back. You, without a doubt, have had the most difficult background in the applicant pool of your year. While you have shown remarkable growth during the two-year period, you are still significantly lacking. Open your mind to the issues that are holding you back. It is the only way you will be able to move forward."

Ginny sat back against her chair and huffed.

"How do I do that? It isn't that simple."

"Well, for starters, you can stop pretending the thing you are running from is a past with Harry Potter. We both know that is not the real issue here."

"How would you know?" said Ginny, coolly. Somehow, she knew Nevaeh would avoid her question again.

"You do not have to work through this tomorrow. It will obviously take time. I just ask that you behave mindfully towards the things that may delay your progress."

Ginny nodded, feeling defeated towards her new advisor. What was she supposed to say? She was absolutely not ready to discuss the things she knew had been gnawing at her soul. She also knew that what Nevaeh was saying was correct. She looked up at her advisor with weary eyes and found the woman smiling in a way that reminded Ginny of Luna at her quirkiest moments.

Ginny reluctantly raised her body from the chair and moved to the door that Nevaeh had just opened.

"If you have any questions, my door is always open." said Nevaeh.

Ginny nodded, and with that, exited the office into the hall. She wasn't quite sure what to make of her advisor, but she was surprised to discover she liked her – even with the mind probe she had attempted.

* * *

Ginny returned in the late afternoon to her flat. Her roommates were nowhere to be found and after flipping through the local newspaper she decided to have a go at her last two letters, beginning with her fathers. 

She picked up the envelope and opened it to find a small card inside with instructions for revealing the rest of the letters. She quite unsure as to why she would need a charm to reveal more letters when they could have just as easily been owled. Nevertheless, she followed the instructions and immediately regretted it. Sitting before her was a pile of more than 600 letters. What could her father have possibly had to say to her? She decided to start in the beginning, fearing the worst.

She picked up the first one on the top of the pile. The script on the envelope was different from her father's but she would have recognized it anywhere – it was her mother's handwriting, tight and crisp with wisps at the end of each word. She remembered being a little girl and wanting handwriting that resembled her mother's. It always seemed so _grown-up_ to her. She opened it up to find a note from her father that was simple and terse.

_Ginerva,_

_Your mother wrote these ages ago and would have wanted you to have them._

_Love,_

_Dad_

Ginny slowly pulled the letter her mother had written from the envelope and allowed her eyes to scan the script. She quickly became engrossed with its contents as well as the contents of the other letters. Ginny realized at once that this was her mother's way of letting her daughter grow up. For many of the letters, Ginny cried and laughed outwardly, unbelieving of the words her mother had to share about everything from raising children to dealing with unfair teachers and boys at Hogwarts. Ginny wondered if any of her brothers had heard similar stories from their father.

She thought _not._

And as she read, she realized how much she missed her mother and the warm presence that came with her being. She was pulled from her letters by a tap at the window. She looked up and felt her breath hitch in her throat. Sitting outside was a snowy owl, one that she had come to terribly depend on during the war. Hedwig. She opened the window to let her in. Hedwig graciously entered, looking tired and hungry. Ginny moved toward her and stroked her fur.

"Hedwig!" Ginny took the letter from Hedwig's beak and pulled some crackers from her school bag and gave some to Hedwig, "I bet you've had a very long journey, huh?" The snowy owl wasn't exactly thrilled with the crackers.

"Well alright then, don't get your feathers in a twist, I'll go down to the kitchens and fetch you something better in a moment."

But first, Ginny was going to read this letter. Scrawled across the front was one simple word: Gin.

She was apprehensive. What would he have to say? Would it be declarations of love or just a quick review of what he had been occupied with over the past two years? Did she even want to read it? She'd pulled herself away from her old life over the past two years and opening this letter would surely heave her right back into it. And after her conversation with Nevaeh, maybe now wasn't the best time to start walking down memory lane…

No, she told herself, she wouldn't read it. As much as she wanted to hear what he had been doing for the past two years, she wasn't ready to hear what he had to say. Not now, not when she was about to embark on a journey that would allow her to overcome what had been hindering her for years now. She wasn't about to pass this opportunity up.

Did it matter anyway? She knew, from her Hermione what Harry had been up to – Quidditch, the World-Cup, being pouty…all the usual behavior. And she didn't want to ruin her time here if he had to tell her that he had found someone new, or worse, if he acted cold and withdrawn as if they had never been close at all. She was worried he was likely to behave that way. So, she pulled open her drawer and placed the letter safely in a box that her mother had given her on her eighteenth birthday.

On a rainy day, years from now, she would open it, when she was no longer confined by the things in her past. And a million miles away, Harry Potter was praying against hope that her eyes had read his words.

* * *

Thanks folks for reading - and please leave a review or two! A writer needs encouragement!

* * *


	4. The Unexpected Visitor

**A/N: **Thanks to all those who reviewed! Much appreciated! Also – thanks again to Angel for being a top-notch beta with a quick turn-around! Hope you enjoy the new chapter!

**Disclaimer:** This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.

* * *

_I can say that I've lived here in honor and danger  
But I'm just an animal and cannot explain a life  
Down this chain of days I wished to stay among my people  
Relation now means nothing, having chosen so defined_

_And if death should smell my breathing  
As it pass beneath my window  
Let it lead me trembling, trembling  
I own every bell that tolls me_

**Neko Case**

* * *

**  
**

Ginny Weasley was on her way home. Standing in her apartment in Sydney, she needled her hands into fists. She was aggravated. No, aggravated wasn't the word. She was furious and her roommate could tell.

Duncan considered himself to be a fairly stand-up chap at most times and in his experience. "Stand-up" usually included adjectives like "fearless" and "brave." Right now, however, he was thinking "cowardly" and "Merlin-fearing" were the words that best describe his behavior.

He had done it this time and he was about to witness, yet again, the wrath of Ginny Weasley.

"Duncan, what the hell are you doing? I'm leaving in ten minutes to see my _family_ for the first time in _five_ years and you're _supposedly_ coming with me, but here you are, standing in nothing but a towel, and you haven't even packed yet," she fumed, her eyes narrowing behind thick eyelashes.

Duncan cowered further into the small corner of their living room. He had an odd sense that the corner wasn't going to hide him as best as he liked. He hated the way Ginny had mastered cool anger.

_Oh, dear_ he thought, Ginny was reaching for her wand.

She started flying hexes his way, destroying the boxed up materials in the space between them both, while muttering things like "_every time" _and "_men are completely useless"_ under breath.

This was rapidly escalating into a dangerous affair, indeed.

"Ginny," he stammered, "I'm…I was…no…wait…let me explain…HEY, that was my favourite poster!"

Duncan, having had enough of the cowering, had grabbed for his wand and started flying hexes her way…first on the list was a hair changer. It hit her square in the forehead and she shrieked.

"OH! Duncan…I can't believe you…" she said, huffing, while precariously reaching for her hair.

Her wand fell to the ground as her hands pulled at strands of her now bright pink and purple hair that had suddenly morphed from long and wavy to short and spiky. Just to top it off, Duncan summoned a dog collar for her neck.

Vulnerable from dropping her wand on the ground, Duncan saw his window of opportunity and hurled himself towards her, pinning her to the ground with his legs.

"That's not fair!" Ginny shouted, but it was too late.

"No, my dear Ginevra, I think it is entirely fair. Is standing in a towel really cause for the complete destruction of all my belongings?"

Still simmering, but on the verge of cooling, she muttered, "_perhaps not_" under her breath.

"But, the least you could do is stop suffocating me with your body," She suggested with annoyance.

"What's this? A sudden disinterest in my body? That's rather unlike you Weasley." He pouted coyly and moved to kiss her.

She, though reluctant at first, responded in kind, and wasted no time in deepening the kiss into an all out passion war. Duncan made no attempts to stall her moves and quickly rolled her over on top of him. He went to remove her blouse only to be disappointed when she pulled herself off his chest, her legs still wrapped around his torso, and began to fix her now tousled punk-rocker hair and clothing. Her mouth opened in horror.

Somehow during their romp on the floor Duncan had managed to change her clothing as well . . . into a sex-kitten costume that resembled something out of 1950s Americana.

"Duncan, you are hopeless, honestly!" But, a mischievous smile was playing on her lips as she uttered the words.

"Ginny, we still have ten minutes…you said so yourself…" he whispered as he trailed a finger along the inside of her thigh.

"No, we don't," she said, lifting his hand away, "we wasted three minutes hexing each other to shreds and another two rolling around on the floor. We have to go. The portkey is open for only another 15 minutes! I suggest you get ready. I'm going to be late and there is nothing my family hates more than an untimely guest, Duncan. Not exactly that best way to make a first impression now, is it?"

"Well, it's not as if I'm your live-in boyfriend here Ginevra. Or did you tell your brothers about our midnight trysts on the balcony?" He pouted, and then added, "I thought it was just between friends?"

"Oh shut it!" She shouted and then grabbed her wand to fix the mess Duncan had made of her as he left the room to prepare the rest of his things.

Truth be told, she rather enjoyed their occasional midnight romps. But that's all they were…moments of weakness between roommates who had a flirtation and nothing more. Although they had tried a relationship early in their program at the Institute, it was realized by both parties rather quickly that they were doomed if they tried to continue. Nevertheless, they were both pleasantly surprised to discover that during their year long relationship the lovemaking was positively brilliant. They weren't about to give that up. And besides, they were still in a relationship of sorts, it just wasn't a boyfriend/girlfriend one.

Ginny laughed silently to herself. Somewhere, in the romantic part of her mind and heart she had always envisioned Harry taking her virginity in candlelight with roses dangled across a plush bed. He would whisper sweet declarations of love in her ear while she tantalized him. In the end, she and Duncan had ingested a bit too much firewhiskey one night and in a moment of passion ended up taking their relationship to the next level. It had been brilliant. Ginny had no idea another person could make her feel that way. Her breath hitched just thinking about it. Duncan and she really did have chemistry that she wasn't entirely certain she would find with another…including Harry.

It picked at her insides sometimes when she thought about it. It hadn't been that she never wanted to make love to Harry, it just didn't seem right after everything that had happened. People had died, people had lost entire families…she had lost part of her family. To mature her relationship with Harry just seemed offensive to the memories of those who had passed. She wondered sometimes if that was partly why she broke things off with him.

Perhaps, Duncan and she could have worked things out if they had been more committed. She had been lazy, she knew. And he, well, he was just entirely too immature. But, he was sexy with a confidence that never came off as ostentatious, he had rugged masculinities, and he was hilarious. All of the things Ginny had thought she wanted in a man.

Ginny exhaled sharply, this was going to have to end soon. Part of her would miss Duncan, but another part said it had gone on long enough under the guise of "fun."

_Time to grow up, Ginny._

Ten minutes later Duncan arrived, fully clothed with his bags packed. Ginny was moving out for good and he was more than saddened to discover it was the end of an era of fun and laughter between them. Ginny had somehow become his best friend and after five years of taking her friendship and presence for granted, he didn't like the idea of suddenly being without it. And he was starting to realize that his feelings for her had managed to develop into something deeper that could no longer be described as friendship.

Standing there, looking at her, he knew he was going to have to tell her this at some point before he left for America. He'd battled with himself over whether or not to keep his feelings to himself. It wasn't entirely fair to Ginny to tell her these things when they were on the verge of being separated by an entire ocean. But, he couldn't leave not knowing her response. At least, if the feelings weren't mutual, he could move on.

"What?" She said, staring at him quizzically.

"Nothing" he whispered, but Ginny could tell that whatever it was, it definitely did not fall into the "nothing" category.

"Come on, spill it now," she pushed.

"Well, it's just…" he paused, "it's just…things aren't going to be the same anymore, are they?"

"No. They aren't," she answered. She wasn't being very helpful, she knew. But, if she was being honest with herself and with Duncan, then the truth was nothing was ever going to be the same again.

"Thanks Ginny, you really know how to make a guy feel better," he frowned.

"Oh, Duncan, stop wallowing. Of course things are changing. They always do. Did you expect to be at the Institute forever? This was inevitable! But," she offered in a more friendly tone as she moved over to him and playfully hit his shoulder, "we'll still see each other, right? You're coming to visit England for a few weeks and I'll come visit you in the states in the winter. It will be just like old times."

"Yeah," he brightened, "you're right. So what are you going to do about Harry?"

Ginny smiled brightly, "I, my friend, am not going to do anything about it."

"Gin, come off it. You can't avoid it forever. Isn't five years long enough to keep a bloke waiting?"

Truth be told, Duncan knew Harry represented his main competition. He also knew Ginny still carried some intense feelings for him.

"I really do not enjoy your adoption of the English dialect, Duncan. Have you forgotten your _American_?"

"Ah, yes, by bloke I mean guy."

"That's better," she smiled.

"You may have successfully changed the subject this time, Weasley, but don't think I'm going to let it drop during the next two weeks."

"Good Luck then." Ginny countered.

"Where is the portkey?" Duncan asked, realizing they had best get moving.

Ginny moved to one of the boxes and picked up what a muggle would consider to be a common can-opener.

"Here, place your hand on it, we have to go!" she exclaimed excitedly.

* * *

Ginny and Duncan arrived in the field her brothers had used for Quidditch pick-up games. Before she knew what was happening she had been tackled to the ground by a head of red hair.

"Hey runt! You're late!" said Fred.

"Did you miss us?!" added George.

"Cuz, we sure as hell missed you!" they finished in unison.

"I don't know if 'miss' is quite the word for it," she said, shoving Fred off her.

"Ah, come on sis, who wouldn't miss us? Did you like the gift we sent you for graduation?" George chuckled.

"Oh, yes. It was…lovely." She tried to sound peeved, but as usual, it was impossible to be angry with Fred and George. They had given her a seemingly innocent box of chocolates with a note saying "Congratulations on your new degree! Now we just have to find a bloke to make an honest woman out of you!" Always having an addiction to chocolate, she quickly tasted a piece and immediately regretted it. Apparently they had charmed the chocolate with an honesty spell. For the following three hours she was forced to be completely honest on all topics, which either led her own humiliation or her embarrassment of others.

"Come inside, Hermione is going crazy cooking for you. She made all your favourites."

Ginny's stomach growled at the mention of food, but one thing needed to be covered first. Eyeing Duncan, who was smiling and looking suave as ever with his hands in his pockets, she cleared her throat.

"First, there is someone I would like you to meet. Fred, George, this is Duncan, my roommate."

Fred and George turned their heads. They weren't even aware that Ginny had brought someone with her. Their eyes followed Ginny's gaze toward the young man standing with a smile plastered on his face staring at Ginny rather shamelessly. Whom was this guy staring at their sister like that?

Ginny watched her brothers and smirked with a grin of satisfaction. Duncan was indeed one of the finer specimens of the male species, she thought as she turned her gaze on him. He was tall, athletic, but not bulky. His hair was sandy blonde, falling just above his shoulders in soft waves. But, the part she found the most attractive about him was his facial features. His cheeks were edged, but not like the creepy male models Lynn and Kate were so fond of, and his eyes were a crystal blue with a line of silver that gave him an air of mystery. At the moment, his jaw line was exhibiting the five o'clock shadow that made her body heat up with abandon…perhaps a quick romp for old times sake wouldn't be completely out of the question after all…

"Hmm, Hmm." Fred and George had not missed the way her sister was looking at Duncan either, "Just a roommate, eh?" George whispered to Fred, but Ginny had heard it.

"Wouldn't you like to know, dear brother, wouldn't you like to know," she countered.

Duncan walked into the fray and extended his hand to Fred, who eyed him suspiciously. "Pleased to meet you both," He stated. Fred grabbed his hand and smiled. Ginny could tell they already liked this guy and he'd only said one sentence. Duncan was smooth, and she liked it. Harry had always been a bumbling idiot in situations like this, but Duncan, why he could walk into a fray with the two most infamous Weasley siblings and not even bat an eye.

George walked up and patted Duncan on the back, "Nice to meet you mate! Ginny wouldn't shut up about you in her letters, said you were a real looker!"

Ginny's mouth dropped at the accusation and she decided the only suitable form of retaliation was a full-fledged bat bogey hex sent flying George's way.

Fred fell to the ground laughing as George attempted to remove the bats and Duncan shouted, "Be careful men, she already hexed me a few times today. The Bat Bogey Hex, when Ginny is on the other side, is just plain evil!"

"Gin, who is this guy? You should bring him around more often!" said Fred.

"Well, he's staying for a few weeks. Doesn't dad or Hermione tell you guys anything?"

"Of course not! They have learned by now that we never listen. Come on, let's go inside before Hermione starts hexing us too," Fred said, ignoring George's battle with the bat bogeys, as he headed for the house. Duncan and Ginny moved to follow as Ginny sent a spell over her shoulder to end the hex on George.

Fred flew into the house and announced, "Weasleys, the youngest is here! And be CAREFUL she already Bat Bogeyed George!"

At once she was bombarded by an onslaught of people with fire red hair. There were so many hands attempting to hug her that she nearly fell over. After the initial shock of having their sister in their presence again, they allowed her to come up for air.

"I missed you too," she breathed.

"Gin, wow, you look brilliant!" whispered, Ron in awe.

"She's your sister, Ronnikins, not your girlfriend," joked George.

"Shut it," said Ron, "Seriously, Gin, you look great." And he moved in to hug her again, this time letting the loneliness of the past five years enter the embrace. Ginny felt a lump in her throat begin to rise at seeing her closest brother again. It had been too long.

Someone cleared their throat in the background and, looking up, she realized suddenly how much she had missed these people. She didn't think it would be this hard, after all, saying good-bye had been quite easy. Her father was standing in the archway, leaning against the wall that connected the kitchen to the living room. He looked…aged. The past five years had not been kind to him. How could they? For a second, just a second, Ginny imagined what it would be like if she were in his position. And then silent tears escaped her eyes and meandered down her cheeks as she moved towards and embraced him.

"I missed you."

"We missed you too, sweetheart," he said, and she could feel the smile in his words.

Ginny looked up and caught the eyes of another missed friend staring back at her from behind her father. Her father followed her gaze and released his daughter from their embrace. Ginny moved towards her best friend.

"Hi," said Hermione. Ginny stared at her friend. She no longer had her trademark bushy hair; it had been replaced with sleek loose curls that flowed down her back and she looked…what was the word? Grown-up? No. She looked mature, like a woman, for the first time in Ginny's eyes. She was wearing a yellow, form fitting T-shirt with white pants and flip-flops. And she was _tan_.

Ginny reached for her friends hand and said, "You look amazing!"

Hermione laughed through her tears and pulled Ginny into a hug.

"Oh, Ginny, it's been ridiculous around here with no one to keep these boys in line. You have no idea how glad I am to have you back."

"Trust me Hermione, I do."

* * *

After more hugs, and some tears, and plenty of laughs and Duncan's introduction, everyone sat down to have a quite meal of some of Hermione's surprisingly excellent cooking. Ginny didn't miss the way Ron couldn't keep his eyes off his new girlfriend and she silently giggled at this new development. Yes, she and Hermione would be having a long chat later.

She was peeved with herself, mainly because there was a resonant annoyance scratching under her skin. Harry wasn't here. She would be having a long chat with Hermione about that later too.

After dinner, everyone moved into the living room where Duncan and Ginny told some of their more tame renditions of the happenings at the Institute. Her father had raised eyebrows at the mentioning of firewhiskey and boys she had dated. Her brothers only raised eyes at the part about boys. She noted that Ron would particularly scowl at the stories of her dating life. She was quite glad that Duncan didn't mention _all_ the boys she had dated…

"Gin, you've changed so much," uttered Ron quietly to Ginny during a lull in the conversation. Ginny wasn't sure if that was a good thing; he sounded uncertain about what he wanted it to mean.

"Well, come on now, tell us about the Institute coursework!" squealed Hermione, breaking the notable tension.

"Bloody Hell, Herm, she hasn't been back more than three hours and you're already jumping up the tree about classes."

"Did you just call her Herm?" Ginny asked with a smile. Hermione more than blushed at the question.

"Yes, I did. What are you on about?" replied Ron, matter-of-factly, while simultaneously trying to cover his increasing cheek colour. Ginny was surprised that for once her brother's ears didn't turn pink.

"You've changed too Ron," she observed.

"Well, since you've all enjoyed our stories of firewhiskey, I thought I might offer up a nice gift. You're very kind for sharing Ginny with me for a few more days," said Duncan. He pulled a bottle from his coat pocket that was rather small.

"Uh, mate, not to be rude, but we might need a bit more than that. Didn't Ginny tell you there were five of us, plus Hermione if you count her?" Offered George.

"Yes, she did indeed inform me." And Duncan pulled his wand from his pants pocket, muttering "_Engorgo_". The bottle increased to five times its original size.

"Wow, Ginny, where'd you find this guy, again?" said Bill from the corner near the fireplace.

Hermione and Ron were sitting on the couch eyeing each other rather seductively, while the other Weasleys rounded themselves about the low table in the center of the room, mesmerized by the firewhiskey.

"I'll get some glasses," Ginny said, as she got up to move into the kitchen. She found her father leaning over the sink looking as if he were in deep thought.

"Dad?"

"Oh, sorry sweetheart. Just thinking is all," he said meekly and looking worn-out.

"Duncan brought some firewhiskey, would you care for some?"

"No thank you, not good on the old man's stomach," he smiled, patting his middle.

Ginny smiled, and moved towards her father while allowing her eyes to scan the room. She didn't like being in the kitchen anymore, she decided. It was odd to think that this room was once the heart of The Burrow, the place where its life bustled, whereas now it just felt cold and sterile. Ginny felt the lump rise again and her father, noticing the change in his daughter's disposition, moved to hug her. Ginny would not sob. She would not cry like a child. But, she would allow a few tears to stain her cheeks.

"I miss her," was all she said.

"I do too, sweetheart, I do too. But she wouldn't want us to be sad. Not now, not when we are finally together again." She tried to believe the words, but she knew just as well as he did that it was all he could offer as a means of comfort.

"I'm so sorry, Daddy, I'm so sorry I've been gone." He stroked her hair and placed his finger under her chin lifting her eyes to him.

"Don't, Ginevra, don't ever feel sorry for living your life. We missed you, but we were never angry with you for leaving. We understood."

Ginny pulled herself away from her father and quickly wiped her cheeks. Her father stepped back for a moment and admired his daughter.

"Look at you, you're all grown-up," he said, sounding somewhat shocked, as if he wasn't sure when it had happened but was sad to have missed it.

Laughing sardonically, she whispered, "Look at me?! I've barely been home a few hours and I'm already crying like a bumbling fool."

"You look beautiful. Your mother would be so proud of you. She is proud of you."

"Thanks daddy."

"So…" he began, "Duncan…" he arched his eyebrows at his daughter.

"No, dad. It's not like that. We dated for a while but it would have never worked out. But, he means the world to me. He's my best friend."

"What about Kate? How's she been?"

"She's well. She's visiting family in Romania at the moment. Her and I plan to visit Duncan in the winter in Arizona."

"Arizona? Isn't that a desert? Not much of a vacation," he said pensively.

"Exactly my point. What better place to have a winter vacation than in a place where it's always summer?!" said Ginny, excitedly.

"Ah, yes. I forgot my daughter's penchant for interesting places."

"So, what's your plan?" he asked, and he new he was referring to her current job search.

"I have a few offers in different areas. A few are out of the country…," Ginny was hesitant to discuss the prospect of her leaving England for good and she noticed the smile disappear from her father's face for a moment.

"Well then, more reason for us Weasleys to vacation to visit you!" he beamed half-heartedly.

"Dad, I'm not going to take them." He frowned and pulled his glasses off.

"No, you should consider them. Consider every offer you get. This is your life, Ginny," he placed his hands on her shoulders and added, "Live it."

"But, that's the thing dad. If I'm honest with myself, living my life the way I want to would include living it with all of you an apparition away – not a portkey." She huffed.

"Well, we'll have time to talk about all of this later. For now, let's get some glasses."

Her father opened one of the cupboards and pulled a few glasses out, placing them on a tray. They walked into the living room only to discover that glasses were no longer needed; the boys were drinking straight from the bottle and already seemed to be tipsy.

"Tsk, tsk, Bill. Now what would Fleur say if she saw you behaving this way," said Fred teasingly.

"What Fleur doesn't witness, she doesn't have to know," he replied as he took a pull from the bottle.

The bottle passed to Hermione who, quite to Ginny's surprise, took a sip. Her cheeks were already flushed from the alcohol.

Her father, seeing what promised to be a night of stories he didn't want to hear, excused himself for the night and travelled up the stairs to bed. Naturally, before doing so, he reminded Ginny that Duncan would be staying in Percy's old bedroom. Ginny noticed her father didn't mention anything about Ginny visiting him in that bedroom and thus cleverly reminded herself of that later, if she so aptly chose to pay him a visit, it wouldn't necessarily be breaking house rules. Afterall, she was 24 now.

They were responsible and began to pour the firewhiskey into glasses over ice as the conversation simmered to days in the past and reminiscing. Ron and Duncan were in a heated discussion concerning this year's Quidditch World Cup, to which Ron mentioned the Cannons could have won if their new keeper would actually get some eyes. Duncan was simply in awe from not only speaking with an actual professional Quidditch player but drinking firewhiskey with him as well. So, Hermione, seeing her opportunity, sauntered (or more likely stumbled) her way over to Ginny, who was well on her way to feeling the affects of the alcohol they had consumed.

"So…" offered Hermione.

"Alright. Dive in. I know you've been dying to ask," said Ginny, fully prepared for the onslaught of questions that were to follow.

"Are you and Duncan dating again?"

"No."

"Are you and Duncan…"

"Occasionally, yes."

"Is it still..."

"Of course, why would I continue to do it if it weren't?"

Hermione giggled at Ginny and continued the questioning.

"That job offer in Romania - "

"Decided not to take it."

"The offer from Hogwarts…"

"Haven't decided yet…and don't try to talk me into it while I'm intoxicated."

"Fair enough. The Institute program - worth it or not?"

"Absolutely worth it!"

"That guy you were seeing last month for a while…what was his name, Jeffery? Still flames or a dying fire?"

"Dying, have no idea what I was thinking. My turn," said Ginny.

"So, Ron. Are you guys…"

"In love? Absolutely and it's amazing!"

"No, I was going to ask…"

"Of course we are."

"Of course you are what?"

"Having sex."

"Oh, god Hermione! I know we are best friends, but honestly, I do not want to know those details about my brother."

"He's surprisingly good."

"No more whiskey for you sweetie," Ginny chuckled, as she moved Hermione's glass to the table.

"Point taken."

"I was going to ask, are you and Ron moving in?"

"Someday perhaps, not anytime soon, we still enjoy our freedom."

"How did he ask you out?"

"He didn't. I asked him, over a bottle of firewhiskey," then Hermione paused for a moment, thinking, and corrected, "Actually, I kissed him and then he asked me out."

Ginny laughed.

"That is unbelievable! Hermione Granger! Drinking firewhiskey and attacking men! Who would have ever thought…switching gears, Hogwarts, promotion…"

"I think so, in January. Gryffindor Head."

"Nice!"

"I know! Cheers to me!" said Hermione, reaching for her glass, raising it to Ginny and taking another drink of her whiskey despite her agreement to stop.

"Harry."

Hermione spit her drink across the room causing everyone to stop their conversations and turn to look at the girls.

"What?" said Ginny, as nonchalantly as possible given the circumstances. Meanwhile, Hermione was wiping the spilled firewhiskey off her pants.

The boys being unperturbed, jumped right back into their conversations.

"Ginny, sorry. You caught me off guard."

"Sorry, _Herm_," she said, giggling all the while.

"Very funny, what would you like to know."

"Well, for starters, where the bloody hell is he?"

"At home."

"Why didn't he come? He knew right?"

"Yeah, he knew. But, he didn't want to come. It isn't easy to face a girl when the last time you saw her she was technically still your girlfriend and the love of your life and the woman you were hoping to marry and have children with…you know live happily ever after."

"Gods, Hermione, do you have to say it like that?" scowled Ginny, feeling a tad guilty.

"No. That's what Harry said earlier tonight to me when I asked him to reconsider."

"Oh," said Ginny silently.

"He'll see you. He's been planning on it. I think he just needs to get his mind wrapped around the fact that you are back. Ginny, it is a little awkward. I mean, it's been five years. Should he know how to act around you when he was kissing you the last time you were together? I mean, I don't know how he should act! It's got to be sooo weird, you know…."

Hermione was lost in her own world and blabbing ten words a second.

"Uh, Hermione, over here? Yeah," said Ginny between chuckles.

Hermione offered a sheepish 'sorry' before asking, "So exactly what are you going to do about this?"

"At the moment? Absolutely nothing. I just got back. I've got to find a job and move into my apartment. I don't want to deal with Harry until I have the time to deal with Harry. I owe him that."

"But, I mean, you do still, love him, right?"

"I don't know Hermione." Hermione raised her eyes to the ceiling at this revelation.

"Well don't be so shocked! I was 18 the last time we saw each other. Can I be honest and say I loved him then? Yes, I did love him, as a friend and significant other. Looking back, Harry was my first real relationship outside of Dean. And we were surrounded by drama, death, war, so many negative things. Sometimes, I feel we dramatized our own relationship just to keep up with all the events swirling around us. How much of that was real, Hermione? I was in love with him, truly I was. But, it was different somehow. I feel it could have been more real in some ways. Having dated other men, I think I need to reevaluate what I was doing with him. It was puppy love, Hermione, not the earth shattering, _I want to spend the rest of my life with you _love, and that's the love I want."

Ginny looked up at Hermione who was looking pensive and slightly worried.

"Your saying these things because you haven't seen him in five years, Gin. You and Harry, you're meant to be!" Hermione screamed. She was worried that her friends would never be together again. Ginny blamed the alcohol consumption.

"Are we Hermione? How can you be so sure?" asked Ginny, more to placate her friend then to listen the actual answer she was about to devise.

"Because, you just are! I mean, you're Harry and Ginny. The universe will BLOODY fall apart if you aren't Harry and Ginny!"

"But that's the problem. I don't want to be Harry and Ginny. That's not who I am, Herm. I'm Ginny, and Harry…well, Harry is just a boy I happened to have dated for a while," whispered Ginny.

But by now, all other conversations had completely stopped and Hermione, noticing this fact, looked even more sheepish than before. She mouthed "I'm sorry!" to Ginny who smiled acceptingly. If she was sober, she mostly likely would not be smiling. But Hermione had just said 'bloody' and that alone had made Ginny's night worthwhile, even if it was at her own expense.

"Ah, bloody hell! To Harry and Ginny," said Ron beaming, obviously drunker than Hermione.

Duncan, on the other hand, was not looking very happy. And, Ginny's brothers were noticing.

Ginny, in that moment, knew she was going to regret telling Duncan to bring the firewhiskey.

"Alright. Come off it you two. What the hell is going on between you."

"Nothing," responded Ginny.

"Yeah, nothing," said Duncan, but everyone in the room could tell he was lying because he wasn't trying very hard to hide the huge grin plastered to his face nor the sarcastic tone he added to his words.

"Well, I've personally never heard a more honest word spoken," Hermione said sarcastically in between a drunk slur and a wink in Ginny's direction.

"Well, Gin, just remember what dear old dad said about Duncan here sleeping in Percy's room. We'll be watching you…" said Ron, cryptically.

"Oh shut it Ron, you and Hermione are going to be shagging the instant we go to bed."

Hermione nodded in agreement and then added, "Once again, I've never heard a most honest word spoken," and tipped her glass to her mouth until it was empty, dropping it on the carpet when she was done. Ron looked at her with a hopeless gaze on his face.

"Who wants more whiskey!?" offered Duncan, but her brothers were already closing in on him and pulling him up out of the chair. He seemed to have been expecting this.

"You'll be wanting more whiskey to clear the pain your going to feel if you don't start giving us some answers," countered Bill.

"Honestly, I just got back. Do we have to jump right back into the 'as your brothers we must interrogate every bloke you bring home' campaign? You NEVER did this to Harry," uttered Ginny with quite a huff of exasperation attached to the end.

"Harry defeated Voldemort! Were we really in a position to be passing judgment on him? I think not, sister dear, I think not," noted Fred in earnest.

"This is ridiculous!" She pleaded, as they dragged Duncan out into the kitchen to the door.

"We only want to ask him a few questions. Now, Duncan. You and our sister. What exactly is going on…"

"We've been shagging regularly on the balcony of our apartment," responded Duncan with a roguish grin, utterly un-phased by the developing questioning coming from her brothers, and showing no embarrassment towards the outright blunt answer concerning their relationship.

This was why she liked Duncan. He was always cool on his feet. And that helped Ginny feel unashamed too.

"So you are dating then?"

"No, we are just shagging," added Ginny with a smirk to Fred and George.

Her brothers moved Duncan outside while screaming, "Duncan and you are shagging but you aren't dating? Gin, sounds like you went…," but Fred stopped when he got outside.

"Fred, what…" asked Ginny, unsure why her brother had stopped attacking her. She quickly moved outside to see what had happened and staring at Fred she noticed the uncomfortable gaze on his face. Ginny smiled for a moment, thinking she had never seen Fred or George embarrassed in her life, until she followed their gaze and her smile quickly melted from her lips. She quickly realised the answer to her brother's silence was standing right in front of her.

Outside, remaining near the edge of the garden so commonly occupied by gnomes, was Harry Potter. Ginny, scanning his eyes, knew in an instant that he had heard everything.

"Harry," was all she could manage to breath in her bewilderment. The air was sufficiently awkward. He looked…amazing. His hair was still as messy as ever, but it was longer now, almost like Sirius' used to be. He looked…handsome and somehow distinguished.

"What in the bloody hell is going on?! Oh, Harry! Come in, we have _FIREWHISKEY_!" Hermione squealed in a pitch that would have broke glass if they had been inside.

She exited the house and, almost tripping on the stairs, moved to give Harry a hug only to have him decline and allow her to slide down the expanse of his body, tumbling on the ground at his feet.

"Harry, that wasn't very nice." She slurred, attempting to point a finger at him but instead only finding the ground.

He stepped away from her. "Right," he stated simply, "I hope you enjoy the evening then," and turning, he began walking down the walk to the point where he could apparate outside of the wards.

Ginny eyed Hermione wearily, but quickly concluded that her friend was in no shape to advise her now. Turning to her brothers, none of them sober, she found Duncan's eyes. He looked…torn. But he nodded his head in the direction Harry had walked. And Ginny nodded in thanks, running down the path.

"Harry," she panted, "Harry, wait, _please_."

He reluctantly stopped, but refused to turn to face her.

"Harry, I'm so sorry. I…Hermione…she…I thought you weren't coming," she managed. She was almost certain she was making a complete fool of herself.

He took a deep breath and looked upward before wheeling around to meet his eyes.

"You thought I wasn't coming, so you brought your boyfriend instead?" he replied with cold sarcasm.

"Harry, this is not how I'd hoped this to go," she pleaded.

He smiled somewhat regretfully, and softly whispered, "This isn't how I wanted a lot of things to go, Gin."

She didn't know how to respond and it seemed he didn't want to hear anything she had to say, because in the next moment he had apparated away. Ginny walked, defeated, back up the path to find Ron attempting to stir a tired Hermione from the drive.

Hermione was definitely going to feel horrible in the morning, but Ginny had a sneaking suspicion she would feel even worse.

* * *

Ginny and Duncan dragged themselves into the small café in Wizarding London and sat down next to Lynn on the patio. They had graciously agreed to meet her and Lorne for brunch in a more sober moment yesterday and were now seriously regretting their decision in light of the morning's hangover.

Lynn looked dashing as always, with her hair swept up in an elaborate style and a black suit that complimented every curve of her body. Ginny suddenly felt quite unattractive in her current outfit of a jumper and jeans.

"Well don't you two darlings look bright as sunshine this morning? Had a randy night I guess?" Lynn smirked.

"Shove it," was all Duncan could muster. The eggs on the table next to him were turning his stomach with each passing second. Ginny meanwhile was thinking she still might be slightly drunk from the night before.

"Can I take your order?" asked the server, approaching their table.

"Yes, I'll have a double Martini, with _gin_, stirred please," responded Lynn without taking her eyes off the menu.

"It's 10:00 a.m. in the bloody morning!" stated Ginny in shock.

"I know darling, I should have had a drink hours ago," Lynn said admonishing herself.

"I'll have a café au lait, and he'll have a pepper-up potion if you got it, with a glass of water," Ginny added to the order.

"Certainly," responded the server and he turned to place the order.

Ginny felt like she might expel the contents of her stomach at any moment. "Where's Lorne?" she asked.

"'Round the corner buying the papers."

"Please, do not order eggs. Whatever you do, do not order eggs," mumbled Duncan, resting his head on the table.

"What in Merlin's name happened to you two? And to think you used to be so much fun, tsk, tsk," said Lynn, with a knowing smile plastered to her face. This time Ginny offered a retort, muttering "sod off" under her breath.

"Is that anyway to talk to a dear old friend?" mocked Lorne as he approached the table.

"Now darling, he does have a point, it isn't nice," added Lynn.

"We made a cataclysmic fuck-up last night," Duncan began.

"Cataclysmic doesn't quite do it justice," was all Ginny would say.

But now, Lorne and Lynn were more than intrigued and never ones to shy away from a good round of gossip encouraged the other two to continue.

"Basically, I saw Harry for the first time in five years…"

"She was pissed out of her mind…"

"So were you…"

"Yeah, well, if we had been at my house my sisters wouldn't have been harassing you like that…"

"Well you didn't seem so peeved at the time, in fact I think you were enjoying it.."

"Bloody hell, your brothers are insane!"

"You told them all about us!"

"Well you didn't exactly expel the rumours now did you?"

"Sod off!" they said in unison.

"Whoa, hey now kids, let's just slow down and take this one step at a time. What exactly happened?"

"I brought some firewhiskey to Ginny's parents' house last night, we got more than a little wrecked with her brothers and, well, after a few conversation lead-ins, they began interrogating me about Ginny…"

Ginny jumped in and with a whiny voice added, "To which he responded, 'we regularly shag on the balcony of our apartment'."

"Don't act like you were upset about my honestly, you practically encouraged it! And if I remember correctly, you confirmed it with 'no, we're not dating, we're just shagging!"

Lorne and Lynn were completely unimpressed, "Well, so? What's the big the deal?" asked Lorne, confused as to why this story was supposed to be interesting.

"The _big deal_, Lorne, is that Harry witnessed the entire conversation without any of us knowing and now completely hates me."

"Oh my," said Lynn, struggling furiously to suppress the giggles that were rising in her throat, "Haha, I'm sorry Ginny, it's just so…," she gave in to the laughter.

"Yeah, yeah," she said as the server arrived with their drinks.

"Will you be dining as well today?"

"No," stated Ginny and Duncan simultaneously.

"Indeed, they will not. We however, shall have…"

Ginny tuned them out, and while she couldn't do the same with her pounding headache, she was certain she deserved all the pain that came with it.

* * *

After brunch, Ginny and Duncan parted ways. He was to follow Lorne and Lynn to their flat to pick up a few things he had let them borrow. Ginny decided to walk the streets of Diagon Alley for a while at a last attempt at clearing her mind before meeting her potential landlord.

It was proving dismal.

Children were perusing the stores preparing for Hogwarts. She sighed, going back to that. She thought her childhood had been difficult…I mean, it isn't everyone's common experience to battle Dark Wizards. But, ironically life seemed a hell of lot less complicated then looking back on it now. There was a purpose, a drive. Destroy the evil in the world. What better endeavor than that to keep one focused on why their life was meaningful? She felt like she had no purpose anymore.

She was lost. In her mid-day hangover soul-searching she had stumbled down an alley she was unfamiliar with and she had a misgiving that someone was following her. She moved out of the alley and caught the glimpse of man out of the corner of her eye. He was dressed in what could only be described as some of the best clothing Wizarding London had to offer. He looked as if he was ready to enter a ballroom and address a crowd of thousands on the virtue of buying excellent clothing. She ruffed at the sight of him.

She turned the corner that would lead her back to the street with the main shops (she hoped).

"Oi!" she heard someone shout from behind her. Turning, she was pleasantly surprised to find two friends approaching her: Remus and Tonks.

"Hullo!" she offered, surprised she was capable of such cheer when in such a state.

"What are you doing 'round her Ginny?" asked Tonks, while Remus embraced her in a hug.

"I got lost; I'm a bit under the weather."

"No need to explain, Harry already told us."

"You've got to be bloody joking! What did he do, shout from the rooftops that I occasionally enjoy a bit of shagging?!"

Remus and Tonks' jaws dropped.

"Well, no, he didn't exactly tell us _that_," said Remus, "he did, however, tell us that you had quite the party last night with a bottle of firewhiskey."

"Oh," replied Ginny with a blush, "sorry."

"No harm done."

"How've you been?" she asked.

"Well, funny you should ask. We were planning on stopping by tonight, but since you are here now…what are you doing on Nov. 12th?" asked Tonks with a sly smile.

"I have no idea, why?"

"Oh, nothing earth-shattering, I was just curious if you would be interested in being a bridesmaid again," said Tonks, with complete nonchalance while she twirled her hair with her finger.

"Oh congratulations!" responded Ginny as she embraced them both in a giant hug.

"Why Ginny, I think you're more excited than we are," Remus chuckled.

"Are you busy right now? Would you like to grab some lunch?" asked Tonks.

"No, no. I just had brunch – if you want to call a coffee that – with some friends. I'll join you for a little while though. I have a meeting in the afternoon."

"Wonderful. Remus, grab a table at the restaurant. We will be along shortly."

When Remus was well on his way to the restaurant, Tonks turned to Ginny and said, "So, Harry found out about Duncan than?"

"That's an understatement. I've made a right mess out of things."

"Let's go. You can tell us more over lunch." Tonks offered with a reassuring smile, pulling Ginny out of her pout and towards the place serving lunch.

* * *

Ginny ended up steering the conversation with Tonks and Remus away from Harry and the complete lack of dignity she possessed. Instead, she discussed her friends' impending nuptials and her job search. She said an impromptu good-bye, her hangover finally catching up with her. She needed to lie down after her appointment.

She exited the restaurant and saw the man in the fancy clothing from earlier still sitting on a bench outside as if waiting for her. What was this guy's story? And was it her imagination, or was this guy following her?

She was too tired to care. She continued walking towards The Leaky Cauldron to take the floo to the apartment complex and began walking briskly only to find the man was indeed following her. He had been tracking her all morning and she was now getting peeved.

She stopped finally and turned to face the man that had been trailing her.

"Fine then, what is it you bloody well want?" she huffed with more than a little indignation added for spice.

The man smiled, as if expecting her response to be filled with an air of annoyance.

"It's not what I want, Ms. Weasley. It's what I'm offering you," he replied, with utter satisfaction in having sufficiently succeeded at leaving her speechless.

* * *

**A/N: **I haven't forgotten about Nevaeh and the Institute – you'll learn more about her and her relationship with Ginny as the story progresses through flashbacks…stay tuned. Oh, and if you want a new chapter the review button in the corner is calling your name softly – whispering 'click me, click me!' 


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